BEIJING (AP) – Australian Premier Anthony Albanese commenced a journey to China this weekend, intended to reinforce commerce ties linking the two nations.
Albanese encountered Shanghai Party Chief Chen Jining on Sunday, the initial event in a sequence of top-tier dialogues that will encompass discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Qiang and Chairman Zhao Leji of the National People’s Congress.
Albanese is guiding “a sizable commercial group” to China, which highlights the significance of the financial connections between Australia and China, he communicated to Chinese government broadcaster CGTN upon his arrival in Shanghai Saturday.
During a week-long excursion, Albanese is scheduled to engage with business, travel, and athletic figures in Shanghai and Chengdu, including a CEO forum Tuesday in Beijing, his office conveyed.
It marks Albanese’s second trip to China since his center-left Labor Party administration was initially voted into power in 2022. The party was reelected in May with a larger majority.
Albanese has been successful in persuading Beijing to lift a number of formal and informal trade limitations implemented under the prior conservative government that burdened Australian exporters with over 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) annually.
Beijing halted contact with the previous leadership over matters such as Australia’s requests for an unbiased investigation into the source of and reactions to COVID-19. But Albanese desires to lessen Australia’s financial reliance on China, a free trade associate.
“My administration has strived diligently to broaden commerce … and to strengthen our bonds with other nations in the area, including India and Indonesia and the ASEAN countries,” Albanese stated prior to his journey, alluding to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
“But the connection with China is a significant one, as are our connections when it pertains to exports with the north Asian economies of South Korea and Japan,” he included.
Chinese state-owned Xinhua News Agency, in an opinion piece Sunday, characterized China’s bond with Australia as “gradually improving” and undergoing “new impetus.”
“There exist no basic clashes of interest between China and Australia,” the opinion piece declared. “By handling disagreements through shared regard and concentrating on mutual interests, the two parties can attain shared affluence and gain.”
